‘Creepy thing to do’: Pardoned Jan. 6 defendant convicted in hair-touching case

U.S. news‘Creepy thing to do’: Pardoned Jan. 6 defendant convicted in hair-touching caseBryan Betancur is also facing a stalking charge in Washington, D.C., and is accused of livestreaming himself fondling the hair of a different woman on a train in Arlington, Virginia.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00A Metro red line train in Washington last year.Kent Nishimura / Bloomberg via Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleAug. 12, 2026, 8:01 PM EDTBy Drew Wilder, NBC Washington and NBC Washington staffA pardoned Jan. 6 defendant was found guilty Wednesday of a single count of simple assault for sitting behind a woman on a train, touching her hair and posting the incident to social media.Bryan Betancur, of Silver Spring, Maryland, was found guilty in Washington, D.C., Superior Court of surreptitiously fondling a woman’s hair on a Metro Red Line train in February.“It’s just a creepy thing to do,” the judge said in court.The victim identified in the video also spoke in court, saying, “I think about this video every single day. I think about this video every time I get on the Metro, which is twice every single day.”She said it’s changed how she feels about being in public and that she feels paranoid and exposed after the incident.“It was very upsetting and unsettling to see someone had touched me and posted about it on the internet without my consent,” she testified.The maximum sentence for the charge, which is a misdemeanor, is 180 days. Betancur has already served 125 days after a judge ordered him held in custody in April over an alleged bail violation.Bryan Betancur displays his certificate of pardon from President Donald Trump during a January 6th memorial march in Washington, earlier this year.Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images fileProsecutors indicated they would argue for more jail time, rather than giving Betancur credit for time served. In addition to jail time, he could receive a $1,000 fine.A sentencing hearing is set for Thursday afternoon.Be...